Membrane Lipid Replacement in Fibromyalgia

Overview

The purpose of this study is to determine the clinical effectiveness of an all-natural, patented wafer with active ingredients that are FDA approved as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) Reference: US Federal Drug Administration (1970) Scientific Literature Reviews GRAS Report, PB-241 970. Active Ingredients: Lecithins. .In this study the investigators will evaluate the efficacy of this dietary product called NTFactor Lipids® made by Nutritional Therapeutics, Inc. of New York on pain, fatigue and gastrointestinal symptoms as well as quality of life indicators in adult male and female participants with fibromyalgia. The addition of NTFactor Lipids to the diet is expected to improve cellular energy function, decrease fatigue and pain and lower the severity of other symptoms and improve quality of life indicators in Fibromyalgia. This study will be a randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over study.

Adult male and female volunteers (n=60, aged 18-64) with a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia will be recruited by referral, newspapers, flyers, radio and internet ads, and asked to complete an Informed Consent document and take an on-line, validated, Combined Fibromyalgia Symptom Questionnaire or Survey Form. Potentially eligible participants (Since there are approx. twice as many female as male patients with this diagnosis, the investigators anticipate that more female than male participants will be recruited) will have the Fibromyalgia diagnosis confirmed using the American College of Rheumatology criteria. If participants have not done so, participants will be asked to provide 10 cc of blood for a Chem 20 analysis. Participants that meet the inclusion criteria will be randomized into placebo (42 days) or supplement arms (4 g NTFactor Lipids® per day for 42 days) by a Research Nurse/Associate, and blinded to the Principal Investigators and Participants for this cross-over trial. After the first arm is completed, participants will return for a clinic visit and enter the second arm for 42 days after a 2-week wash-out period. Once the data has been collected online (at Day 0 before starting supplement/placebo and on Days 1, 2, 3, 7, 14, 21, 30 and 42 for each arm), data will be placed into spread sheets, unblinded and analyzed by an independent statistical unit at the University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine. Principal objectives will be to assess various categories of pain, fatigue, GI symptoms and QOL and compare these outcomes in this study among supplement and placebo arms for each participant over time and combined for all participants. Statistical significance of any differences will be determined by t-test and other methods. Regression analysis of the data will be used to assess fidelity of the data and reliability of outcomes, and R2 values will be calculated for combined data.